Zdybel GLASAIR FT N711FZ

Summary

On 2 October 1999 at about 18:45 local time, a Zdybel GLASAIR FT registered N711FZ was involved in an accident near Rio Linda, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 1999 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rio Linda, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rio Linda Airport (Q94)

Coordinates

38.6809, -121.4497

Aircraft

Zdybel GLASAIR FT

Registration

N711FZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA002

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the owner/builder's improper installation of the fuel selector valve, and, his failure to placard the operating positions of the valve handle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had recently finished building the airplane, and it had accrued 16 hours of total time. The pilot said that at one time he had the fuel selector positions placarded but the placards fell off and he never bothered to replace them. While on an extended downwind for landing, the engine stopped running and he landed short of the runway, colliding with a ditch and nosing over. The pilot stated he had just finished switching fuel tank positions when the engine quit running. The engine was successfully run three times during the postaccident investigation. The pilot later said that he thought he had not had the fuel selector properly indexed during the accident flight. Postaccident examination of the fuel selector indicated that the shaft had an improper alignment, which induced excess play in the handle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.